8 Video Game Remakes That Were TOTALLY Justified

Until 2020's Yakuza: Like A Dragon arrived on the scene and completely shook things up, the Yakuza series had settled into a comfortable formula for itself.

Now, that's not the criticism it sounds like: exploring the streets of Kamurochō, alternating between uncovering sinister criminal conspiracies, brutally beating thugs with park benches, and blowing it all off to play Scalextric is endless, tonally inconsistent fun.

While the series' 3rd, 4th and 5th entries were easily remastered for the PS4 with little more than a resolution and frame rate bump, things weren't so easy for earlier titles native to the PS2. Yakuza 1 and 2 were presented using semi-fixed camera angles and scene transitions, making the world feel like a series of separate areas, rather than a sprawling, cohesive city. The first game was also released with an English language dub that even the most charitable player would call embarrassing.

When updating Yakuza 1 to modern consoles, the game was rebuilt using prequel Yakuza 0's engine and the original Japanese audio track, thus bringing it firmly in line with the most current entry at the time. Coupled with the inclusion of side activities such as Pocket Circuit and the hilarious Majima Everywhere system, Yakuza Kiwami is the perfect way to experience the franchise's debut.